Barry's Blogger Book Bonus

Contest winner has been drawn via Random.org--congratulations, Robin_Titan!

Author Barry Lyga asked for help giving away signed copies of his young adult books, and being the altruistic supporter of all things literary that I am, I'm stepping up to the plate. Even though this could very well require me to perform a task which I generally greet with the same enthusiasm as spending a night wandering through a swamp full of hungry, malaria-infected mosquitoes. (Translation: if you're one of those people who occasionally sees me in real life, so that I could get the book to you without a trip to the dreaded post office, I'll give you one thousand entries! Okay, one hundred. Okay, one. Please enter, so I can give you that one entry. Consider it a favor to me.)

So, I have a brand new (oops, I just read the prologue) gently used signed paperback copy of Lyga's 2007 book Boy Toy, winner of that year's Cybil Award.

[Ed: see my review] Here's what School Library Journal had to say in their starred review:

"For the past five years, Joshua Mendel has struggled with the aftermath of being sexually abused by his seventh-grade history teacher. Now a high school senior, he still experiences 'flickers,' his name for vivid, mini-flashbacks of his times with Eve. He still refuses to associate with Rachel, his seventh-grade romantic interest whose insistence on a game of spin the bottle at a party led to the exposure of his abuse, a trial, and Eve's imprisonment. Rachel is eager to resume their long-abandoned tentative romance, Eve has been released from prison, and Josh wants nothing more than to win a baseball scholarship to a college far from his small town where he feels certain everyone knows about his past. Despite years of counseling, Josh is unable to move on until he reveals the complete details of his experiences with Eve to Rachel and to his friend, Zik, and finally learns to accept the truth about it. Short groups of chapters set in the present alternate with much lengthier segments entitled 'Flashbacks, Not Flickers,' in which Josh describes his relationship with Eve from the beginning to the emotionally wrenching trial. The well-paced plot begins slowly, describing Eve's initial approaches to Josh as she wins his confidence and loyalty, then speeds up as their more frequent contacts move into the realm of inappropriate teacher/student behavior. Lyga's skillful writing subtly reveals Eve's cleverly calculated abuse of Josh in a way that older teens will find fascinating, distressing, and worthy of their attention." --Ginny Gustin, Sonoma County Library System, Santa Rosa, CA

This book is recommended for ages 16 through 106.

To enter, post a comment including your email address and anything else you'd like to say about Barry Lyga, or young adult books, or the post office, or...? Winner will be announced on June 30, 2009. In accordance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, you must be 13 or over to enter.

Lyga is also having a book trailer contest to mark the launch of his upcoming book, Goth Girl Rising. It looks like a lot of fun, and everyone who enters will win something, so go check it out after you've entered here!